In 2016, my husband and daughter (then 4 years old) and I were hiking and talking about homophones. One of us said, “Dear Deer” and I said, “That would make a cute book.” The next day, I wrote, Dear Deer, How have you been? It is your favorite friend again. I haven’t seen you in quite awhile. I wonder if you’ve been hanging out with….I hesitated because I couldn’t think of a name that rhymed with awhile, so I wrote the alphabet at the top of the page. When I got to the letter “L”, I said, “Lyle.” And that is the beginning of my “book story.”

I continued writing line by line (having no clue what this book would be about) for the next few weeks, using the alphabet at the top of the page to help me when I got stuck (I have always loved my daughter’s children’s books that rhyme). I wrote at home, but mostly I wrote while my daughter was playing at stores, the park, the trampoline park, etcetera. I was a stay-at-home mom who was busy and bored (both at the same time), so it was a great outlet. Watching my child line up sippy cups at Target was not my idea of fun! I did not “begin with the end in mind,” (or the beginning or the middle in mind), so I felt like the Lord was guiding me the entire time. It ended up that the book is about how things aren’t always as they seem and about Spiritual Gifts. 

After I was finished with the script, I considered looking for an illustrator, but every time I started the search, I felt like the illustrator was supposed to be a young, new artist. So I thought about calling the Art Director at a local high school (in Georgia where we lived at the time). But every time I went to dial the number, I felt like the location and the timing wasn’t right. I shelved the book for three years, during which, we moved to Michigan. 

One day, I saw on Facebook that my new neighbor friend was a great painter. I texted her to ask if she might want to illustrate my book. She said that she had always wanted to try and illustrate, so I walked right over with a hard copy. After reading it, she said she wanted to try. After trying to draw the characters, she realized that she was better at painting. I didn’t want her to give up, so I had the idea of taking photos to then layer the illustrations on top (like Mo Willems does in Knuffle Bunny), so there would be less to illustrate. So I gathered photos that I already had and took additional photos that I needed. She still said it was not the job for her; but now I had the photos! 

Shortly later, I was working at a middle school (I am a dental hygienist for a mobile dental hygiene program) when my soon-to-be illustrator Dai’Sean appeared on the scene. During his appointment, I asked him, “What are your hobbies?”. His face lit up when he said, “graphic design.” During the appointment, I told him about my script and then asked if he would be interested in reading it and possibly illustrating it. He said yes. So I asked his principal if I could take him out of class the next day for a short meeting. He said it was fine with him and that he would get consent from Dai’Sean’s mom. His mom was cool with it. When I finished working the next day, I met with Dai’Sean and showed him the script and the photos. He said he wanted the job. He had already sketched Deer! Dai’Sean and I met over the course of the summer. And after he was finished, I was going to try and put the book together myself, but that was wishful thinking! It is more difficult than it looks!

I was wondering if I was on the right course with this whole book project, when I read the final chapter of a book by Kathie Lee Gifford. She challenges the reader to “Reach back in your memory to when you were little. What did you love to do? What made you happy every time you did it? Whatever it was, I truly think that is what you were meant to do. Time and circumstances have a way of changing the course of our path, but the original path is still there. Hidden by cobwebs and weeds and a whole bunch of emotional garbage, probably, but nonetheless still there. It’s not too late to go looking for it. It might surprise you how close it is. Check your closet. If that old tutu or tuba is in there, chances are your dreams are, too.”Well, my closet is too small for a tuba, but I remembered that I have a “Memory Box” in my basement. I went straight down and dug through it. I found my Poem Book (that was a requirement) from my junior year in high school, along with the first draft. Written at the top of the first draft was the alphabet. Next, I found a folder with all of the information that I had learned from a photography class that I had taken years before (the class came with a camera that I had bought). Finally, I found a Spiritual Gifts Test that I had taken years before. I took all of this as confirmation that I was on the right track and to keep moving forward.

One day, my daughter was selling lemonade and had created her own “lemonade stand” sign. Our neighbor, Aaron, and his family stopped by and he commented on how nice her sign was. We got to talking and he told us that he was a graphic designer. Ding, Ding, Ding! I told him about my project and asked if he would consider helping me. He was more than happy to help! During the process of Aaron designing, I found BookBaby for printing the book. They were the first and only printer I called. I knew right away that they were the one for the job. They have been awesome in every way. Shout out to Frank! 

So, that’s my story. To God be the glory! 

Kristi